A year in the life of law enforcement

Bill’s a cop in Any City, an average guy with a wife and kids. He’s been a police officer for several years, entering the workforce after finishing his military service. After serving two tours in combat he found police work a good fit. He takes pride in his work, knows the people on his beat and enjoys providing a real service to his community.

Not everybody approves of the job Bill does. Every day he opens the newspaper to find new complaints about police brutality and abuse of power. Bill isn’t brutal and he doesn’t abuse the power of his office, but there’s a perception that anyone who has a badge misuses it.

He’s sometimes called names. Even when he’s trying to help someone he has had to fight the idea that his motives are less than honorable. Sometimes Bill gets tired and discouraged about the perception of police in modern society and feels like quitting. Then he pulls someone from a car wreck, finds a lost child, discovers a break-in, makes an arrest that takes someone dangerous off the streets, and realizes that his job is important—both to him and the community. Still, it’s hard to turn on the news and hear demonstrators calling the police names. If he knows anything, it’s that he doesn’t want his kids following in his footsteps.

Now meet Karen. She’s also a cop who works in Any City. She recently graduated from the police academy, like her father and grandfather before her. A veteran who flew combat missions, Karen wants to serve her community and hopes to rise in the ranks to the criminal investigations division. She’s single, but plans to balance a family with her work.

Every time she heads to roll call Karen thinks about what she reads in the news and hears on the television: allegations of police brutality, unfairness and mistrust from the community. Karen loves her job but she’s not sure she wants her children to follow in her footsteps. Police work is dangerous and hard on one’s personal life. Why would anyone wish this on their kids?

Put this into perspective: Bill is Karen’s grandfather. Does this mean that policing hasn’t changed enough over the years? I don’t think so. I think it means that because of our unique place in society police will always face close scrutiny and criticism.

Police have been the subject of campaigns to discredit us and our work since the first officer strapped on a gun. And even though some would like to dismiss the social and professional gains made by the law enforcement profession over the years, policing has evolved.

Do we have miles yet to go? Sure. As does every profession facing the swiftly moving waters of changing technology and acceptable mores. Despite the bad press, police agencies are doing a good job of keeping up with the times while still doing their jobs.

This bump in the road is as normal to police development as upgrades to gear and methodology. Law enforcement is not a static profession. And remember, the criticism comes from a relatively small percentage of the population, made to seem larger and more significant by news organizations desperate for readers and ratings. The vast majority of the American public stands firmly behind its force.

Police will always face criticism. It’s up to management to help put it in perspective. 

Next month, some suggestions on how to keep agency morale from crashing. Have a suggestion or program that works for you? Send it to me at [email protected].